Notts Outlaws sign Ish Sodhi for Natwest T20 Blast campaign

Sports Reporter

Ish Sodhi, the New Zealand leg-spinner who made a huge impact in the recent Big Bash, has been snapped-up by the Notts Outlaws for the entirety of the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast.

The 24-year-old collected remarkable figures of six wickets for 11 runs for Adelaide Strikers against Sydney Thunder in January, capping a meteoric rise to prominence on the world stage.

The 41-time New Zealand international has become a prized T20 asset, taking his 60 wickets at 21.96 with an economy rate of 7.14 having featured for Northern Districts as well as the Strikers.

His record for New Zealand in the shortest format is even more impressive, featuring 21 wickets at an average of 14 and a strike-rate of a wicket every 13 balls.

“Ish is a young player whose game has really moved forward,” said Nottinghamshire Head Coach Peter Moores. “He’s growing fast and we’re really excited to have him.”

“He’s not been to England before, so he is an unknown quantity for our opposition and we’ve seen the impact leg-spinners can have in T20 cricket.

“With the way batsmen strike the ball, you need bowlers that can take wickets throughout the innings.

“Ish is a natural attacking leg-spinner who can create pressure and get us some crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs.

The Outlaws topped the NatWest T20 Blast north group in 2016 with a Club record run of nine successive victories securing finals day qualification.

Moores hopes the familiarity of a largely unchanged squad, together with both Sodhi and his fellow overseas player Dan Christian being available for all 14 matches, will provide the right ingredients for a successful summer.

“We spoke to Andre Adams who said great things about Ish’s character. He absolutely loves the game.

“He’s also a good fielder, he bats down the order and will be part of the side for the whole tournament, which is a big thing.

“To have a settled unit with Dan and Ish right the way through, it means we can be really clear in the style we’re playing.”